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Ethics in an Age of Technology: Gifford Lectures, Volume Two Paperback – December 25, 1992

by Ian G. Barbour (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 10 ratings
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The Gifford Lectures have challenged our greatest thinkers to relate the worlds of religion, philosophy, and science. Now Ian Barbour has joined ranks with such Gifford lecturers as William James, Carl Jung, and Reinhold Neibuhr. In 1989 Barbour presented his first series of Gifford Lectures, published as Religion in an Age of Science. In 1990 he returned to Scotland to present his second series, dealing with ethical issues arising from technology and exploring the relationship of human and environmental values to science, philosophy, and religion and showing why these values are relevant to technological policy decisions.

In examine the conflicting ethics and assumptions that lead to divergent views and technology, Barbour analyzes three social values: justice, participatory freedom, and economic development. He defends such environmental principles as resource sustainability, environmental protection, and respect for all forms of life. He present case studies in agriculture, energy policy, genetic engineering, and the use of computers. Finally, he concludes by focusing on appropriate technologies, individual life-styles, and sources of change: education, political action, response to crisis, and alternative visions of the good life.

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  1. Book 2 of 2
    Gifford Lectures
  2. Print length
    334 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    HarperCollins
  5. Publication date
    December 25, 1992
  6. Dimensions
    0.76 x 6.12 x 9.25 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0060609354
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0060609351
  9. See all details
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From the Back Cover

The Gifford Lectures have challenged our greatest thinkers to relate the worlds of religion, philosophy, and science. Now Ian Barbour has joined ranks with such Gifford lecturers as William James, Carl Jung, and Reinhold Neibuhr. In 1989 Barbour presented his first series of Gifford Lectures, published as Religion in an Age of Science, in which he explored the challenges to religion brought by the methods and theories of contemporary science. In 1990, he returned to Scotland to present this second series, dealing with ethical issues arising from technology and exploring the relationship of human and environmental values to science, philosophy, and religion and showing why these values are relevant to technological policy decisions. "Modern technology has brought increased food production, improved health, higher living standards, and better communications," writes Barbour. "But its environmental and human costs have been increasingly evident." Most of the destructive impacts, Barbour points out, come not from dramatic accidents but from the normal operation of agricultural and industrial systems, which deplete resources and pollute air, water, and land. Other technologies have unprecedented power to affect people and other forms of life distant in time and space (through global warming and genetic engineering, for example). Large-scale technologies are also expensive and centralized, accelerating the concentration of economic and political power and widening the gaps between rich and poor nations. In examining the conflicting ethics and assumptions that lead to divergent views of technology, Barbour analyzes three social values: justice, participatory freedom, and economic development, and defends such environmental principles as resource sustainability, environmental protection, and respect for all forms of life. He presents case studies of agricultural technology, energy policy, and the use of computers. Looking to the future, he describes the effects of global climate change, genetic engineering, and nuclear war and cautions that we must control our new powers over life and death more effectively. Finally, he concludes by focusing on appropriate technologies, individual life-styles, and sources of change: education, political action, response to crisis, and alternative visions of the good life.

About the Author

Ian G. Barbour has retired from Carleton College where he was professor of physics, professor of religion, and Bean Professor of Science, Technology, and Society. The "preeminent synthetic in the field" (Cross Currents,) he is the author of several influential books, including Ethics in an Age of Technology and Myths Models, and Paradigms, which was nominated for the National Book Award. He gave the world-renowned Gifford Lectures, 1989-1991.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; First Edition (December 25, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 334 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060609354
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060609351
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.76 x 6.12 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 10 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
10 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Matt
1.0 out of 5 stars Got it for my engineering ethics class at NDSU. ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2015
Verified Purchase
Got it for my engineering ethics class at NDSU. Cheap so I bought it, but never really used it. Share with a friend if possible.
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Will
3.0 out of 5 stars How solid a foundation?
Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2012
Having studied Barbour's many books on science, philosophy, and religion, I find his exemplary work in these areas best in the field. But in this particular book, he wades briefly into the field of ethical theory [about 1/10th of the whole] where he should have written more. The theory of axiology [value judgment] and ethics is a rich tradition throwing light on complex problems of human decision making. He does his usual impressive job of marshaling amazing amounts of material from diverse sources concerning many different political and environmental arguments. [Might have been better for a philosopher and physicist to spend more time on foundations and eliminate some briefly detailed problems.] But when he says that Senator Al Gore's amateurish book of discredited environmental alarmism is "an excellent discussion of all these global environmental threats and possible responses," [p. 290] we must wonder. When he says [without exposition and argument, in his all-too skimpy section on ethical theory] that Rawls' egalitarianism is the proper middle-road balance, and Nozick's critique of that position, along with Locke and our Founding Fathers, is extreme libertarianism [p. 38-9], we must wonder. He stresses inalienable, trans-utilitarian, deontological individual rights [p. 35], but we see that his anemic concept of Liberty is merely ability to participate in group decisions [p. 51]. When he simplistically recommends we "beat our swords into plowshares" [p. 263. Has he forgotten the Fall of Man?], and that we should, like the small, primitive Christian groups of Acts 4:35 hold "all things in common" and redistribute "to each as any had need" [Communist Manifesto], we must wonder!

Several profound philosophers have plunged into politics and economics where they were not fully equipped. Many of the issues he pronounces on presuppose Economics--a topic he neglects. He should have had at least one long chapter on the subject, if not more. Barbour seems to approach "global ethics" as if it were family discussion around the dinner table--no understanding of F. H. Bradley's "My Station and Its Duties." No analysis in any depth of basic economics, unintended consequences, and the pride of utopian centralized power and planning. He seems to have in mind the idea that the global economies can all be managed by an elite, enlightened centralized Brain Trust who should be, like Vonnegut's Diana Moon Clampers, in charge of Redistribution of the world's countless resources. He has high hopes for United Nations bureaucracies doing exactly that [P.112, 211]! Is he shaped by what Dante might have called the "politics of envy"? Are his recommendations likely to have the unintended consequence of "killing the goose that lays the golden eggs"? Barbour underestimates Simon's point, that technological progress supports increase in access to the higher joys of the spirit. He seems never to take account of Adam Smith's Invisible Hand of the marketplace of truly FREE individuals, PARTICIPATING in the imperfect miracle of capitalism and liberty. He seems, like utopian socialists, to grossly overestimate our ability to fairly and intelligently micro-manage climate, economy, and collective human welfare. I am not an expert in most of these areas either! Perhaps this is not a fair picture of his book. I am just wondering.

For a more balanced perspective see Julian Simon, THE STATE OF HUMANITY, 1996; Bjorn Lomborg, THE SKEPTICAL ENVIRONMENTALIST: MEASURING THE REAL STATE OF THE WORLD, 2002; and Robert Zubrin, MERCHANTS OF DESPAIR: RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALISTS, CRIMINAL PSEUDO-SCIENTISTS, AND THE FATAL CULT OF ANTIHUMANISM, 2012.
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Andrew D. Oram
3.0 out of 5 stars Useful to introduce issues of global consequence
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2013
This book proceeds briskly through an excellent range of political, social, technical, and historical views of key challenges facing humanity. It is really quite remarkable how Barbour can lay out with subtlety and grace (I use that term with manifold meanings) so many issues in such disparate areas as agricultural degradation, the loss of community, and the threat of computerization to privacy--just to name a few. It's all the more remarkable how well the analyses written in 1991 still apply today. Certainly there have been important changes that would enter into a similar analysis today, such as fracking and mobile devices in the technical arena, and the trajectories of post-Soviet nations and the post-9/11 war against terror in the political arena. But Barbour comes across quite relevant. I must admit, however, that I have seen most of these issues elsewhere and saw the book as a summary of useful topics rather than as a new contribution. The Christian angle did not add as much as I had hoped. For instance, one need not cite the "biblical understanding of human fallibility" to worry about accidents at nuclear power plants. But Barbour's introduction to process theology was salient and interesting.
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Top reviews from other countries

Albert Godts
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book
Reviewed in France on April 6, 2016
Verified Purchase
Reading the notes, most are dated at least thirty years (except for chapter 12). Still the book reads as up to date as any: I am not sure it means that philosophy stagnant or if the author had powers seeing in the future. The book is great: such a diversity of opinions analysed, summarised and given a proper status in the general scheme of things (again to a certain extent in ch. 12). The general summary of the stand between science, philosophy and theology is one the best books have read on the subject. Chapter 12 on the contrary, notwithstanding the lot of recent references to the works of other philosophers and scientists, seems to suffer from a lack of digestion. It would be nice to read about the same subject from the same author, but written at a more recent time. All in all a book to recommend to anybody interested in the thorny problem of relation between Faith, Churches and Science.
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